Giving without Goals Can Leave Donors Feeling Unfulfilled

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Fidelity Charitable Launches Campaign to Help Donors Create a Plan;
For the 68 Percent of Pre-Retirees Expecting to Increase Their
Charitable Activity, It’s a Good Time to Develop a Mission

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Although the majority of donors know which charities they will support
each year, only 22 percent have a mission statement or set of goals to
guide their giving, according to Giving and Planning, a new study
from Fidelity Charitable. A separate study by a third party found that
only two of five donors are highly satisfied with the impact they are
making through their charitable efforts, and only one in five believe
their giving is highly effective.1

“Many of our donors plan to expand their commitment to philanthropy
within the next five years, with full-time employed donors in their
fifties most likely to anticipate increasing the time they spend on
philanthropic activities,” said Amy Danforth, president of Fidelity
Charitable. “Having a mission statement to guide one’s giving can
amplify the impact of charitable contributions, as well as boost the
confidence donors have in their giving and the satisfaction they get
from it. Moreover, charities can work together with these donors to meet
long-term goals.”

Key findings from the survey of 1,042 Fidelity Charitable donors are:

Most know where they will give: 78 percent of donors have a
good sense of which charities they will support each year and 53
percent know how much they will give.

Women are more likely to have a plan: 27 percent of women
compared to only 19 percent of men have developed a mission statement
to guide their giving.

Boomers expect to be highly engaged in philanthropy once retired:
68 percent of full-time employees in their fifties plan to commit more
time to philanthropy in the next five years, compared to 41 percent of
all donors surveyed. Retirees are significantly more likely to spend
more than 20 hours per month on philanthropic activities (25 percent)
than full-time employees (16 percent).

Using a donor-advised fund improves planning: 29 percent plan
their giving further in advance after setting up a donor-advised fund.

Boost Your Giving IQ Campaign to Help Donors Create a Plan

Over the next two months, Fidelity Charitable will share extensive
guidance and information related to philanthropic giving through its
website and via social media. Featuring perspectives from experts at
Fidelity Charitable and philanthropic advisory firms, the Boost
Your Giving IQ campaign will provide advice on:

Creating a charitable mission statement

Creating an action plan for giving

Selecting nonprofits that are aligned with a donor’s charitable goals

Engaging with nonprofits and other donors to amplify impact

“Our donors look to us to help them make more of a difference for the
causes they care about,” said Danforth. “The Boost Your Giving IQ
campaign will offer expert advice to donors so they can achieve the
greatest impact with their financial support and volunteer activities.
Charities will feel a positive effect and, ultimately, donors will
derive more joy and satisfaction from their giving.”

Giving and Planning is based on a survey of 1,042 Fidelity
Charitable donors, conducted in February and March of 2015. The survey
was conducted by Ipsos, an independent research firm.

About Fidelity Charitable

Fidelity Charitable is an independent public charity that has helped
donors support more than 210,000 nonprofit organizations with more than
$20 billion in grants. Established in 1991, Fidelity Charitable launched
the first national donor-advised fund program. The mission of the
organization is to further the American tradition of philanthropy by
providing programs that make charitable giving simple and effective. For
more information about Fidelity Charitable, visit http://www.fidelitycharitable.org.

Fidelity Charitable is the brand name for the Fidelity®
Charitable Gift Fund, an independent public charity with a donor-advised
fund program. Various Fidelity companies provide services to Fidelity
Charitable. The Fidelity Charitable name and logo and Fidelity are
registered service marks of FMR LLC, used by Fidelity Charitable under
license.